Presser-foot mechanism for sewing-machines.



I. L. WHEELER.

PRESSER FOOT MECHANISM FOR SEWING MACHINES.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 6, I9I4.

Patented May16,1916.

,III III IVIIII kkqk .7Zii5zesses:

.Ezvenfar: e7a7anl. Whack); fly; Z e

Z W ills mun) 4m. Mm

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

- JOHN L. WHEELER, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNEASSIGNMENTS, TO I SIMPLE-X SHOE MACHINERY COMPANY, OF ST. LOUIS,MISSOURI, A CORPORATION OF MISSOURI.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 16, 1916.

Application filed March 6, 1914. Serial No. 822,800.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, JOHN L. WHEELER, acitizen of the United States, residing in the city of St. Louis andState of Missouri, have invented new and useful Improvements inPresser-Foot Mechanisms for Sewing-Machines, of which the following is aspecification.

This invention relates to sewing machines, and more particularly toresser-foot mechanisms for machines for sewing leather and other heavymaterial.

It has for its principal object to produce a simple, compact and durabledevice which will effectively hold the work while it is being puncturedby the awl or the needle, as the case may be; to provide for theautomatic adjustment of the device for different thiclmesses of work; toprovide for the release of the device from the work while the latter isbeing shifted for each succeeding stitch; and to attain certainadvantages which will hereinafter more fully appear.

The invention consists in the parts, and in the arrangements andcombinations of parts hereinafter described and claimed.

In the drawing,Figure 1 represents a side elevation of a sewing machineequipped with a work-holdin device according to the invention; and Fig.2 is a fragmentary view, partly in section and partly in side elevation,showing how the work-holding device may be operated when its lockingmeans is released.

'The sewing machine illustrated in the drawing is of the type known asthe looplock-stitch machine. That is, it employs two threads, one whichis termed the needle thread or stitching thread, and which is loopedsuccessively through the work, and the other the locking thread, whichis interlooped successively through the loops of the stitching thread toprovide a look therefor when the stitchesare set. Such a machine isdescribed with more particularity inthe patent to Savignac and Myers,No. 1,016,898, of February 6th, 1912, and also in an application forpatent, Ser. No. 807,225, filed by myself and one Charles E. Myers, onthe 17th day of December, 1913.

Briefly stated, the machine comprises a head-frame 1, at the front ofwhich is a work support or table 2. To the rear of the work support is atransverse, horizontal rock shaft 3, on which is fixed an oscillatoryawl carrier 4:. A transversely oscillating awl holder 5 is mounted onsaid carrier, and it has an arcuate awl 6 thereon which reciprocatesthrough an opening 7 in the work table. Devices are employed foreffecting the lateral oscillation of the awl holder during itsreciprocatory strokes, so that the work is fed by the awl while it is inthe work and whereby the awl is restored to puncturing. position afterit has receded from the work.

Rocking about the shaft 3 is a needle carrier 8 having an arcuate needle9 thereon adapted to carry a loop of the stitching thread 10 through thepimctnre made by the awl. Both of the oscillatory carriers 4: and 8 areprovided with segmental gears meshing with tooth sectors onrearwardlyextending rocking levers 11 which are respectively actuated intimed relation by cams provided therefor on disks 12, which latter aremounted on a transverse driving shaft 13 to the rear of the head frame.

Pivoted at the side of the head frame 1 is a lever 14. This lever has aforwardly and laterally extending portion 15 which constitutes the workholder or resser-foot.

The lever is also provided with a rearward and upward extension 16 atthe outer end of which is secured one end of a spring 17 whose oppositeend is attached to a stud 18 near the top of the head frame. The spring'yieldingly'holds the lever with its rearward extension in raisedposition, and its forward extension down upon the work.

Mounted on the side of the head frame is a bracket member 19 having aguide-opening or slide-way 20 therethrough for a bar The lower end ofthe bar has a slot and-pin connection with the lever extension 16, as'at22. The upper portion of the bar is provided with a series of relativelyfine teeth or serrations 23 adapted to be engaged by similar teeth on alocking pin 2 1 which works through a transverse opening in the bracketmember 19. A spring 25 is provided so as to move and yieldingly' holdsaid locking pin normally outward free from engagement withthe bar 21,and incontact with an adjustable stop 26 on an arm of a rocking lever27, which latter is pivoted, as at 28, between lugs 29 extendingrearwardly from said bracket member 19. The opposite arm 30 of thisrocking lever is provided at its end with a roller 31 which rides on thecam disk 12; and said cam disk is provided with two peripheral recesses32, The recess 32 is positioned on the disk so that the roller 31 reststherein when the needle is in its uppermost position and the awl isentirely below the work table, or, in other words, at the proper timefor placing the work in and removing it from the machine. The secondrecess 33 is positioned in timed relation to the actuation of the awl,so that the roller 31 rides into said recess just before the awl beginsits oscillatory stroke to feed the work, and it remains therein duringthe completion of the stroke. The length of said recess 33 is governedby the maximum length of the stitch made by the machine.

In the operation of the device the presserfoot is raised by the operatordepressing the rearward extension of the lever la r; a suitable knob orhandle 31 being conveniently provided therefor. As soon as the work isplaced under the presser-foot the handle 31 is released by the operatorand the spring 17 raises the rearward extension of the lever andyieldingly holds the presser-foot upon the work. This manipulation andac- .tuation of the presser-foot is permitted because the roller 31 isin the recess 32 and the rocking lever is in a position which permitsthe withdrawal of the locking pin 2% from engagement with the bar 21 bythe spring 25. As soon as the machine is started the roller 31 rides outof the recess 32 and onto the peripheral face of the disk 12, wherebythe lever 27 is moved so as to push the locking pin 24 into engagementwith the bolt 21. Hence, the presser-foot is rigidly held upon the workwhile the awl is puncturing the latter. Then, as stated above, therecess 33 is brought into position to receive the roller 31 just afterthe awl has completed its puncturing stroke and before it begins itslateral oscillatory stroke to feed the work to bring the puncture inline with the needle. After the awl has completed this lateraloscillatory stroke, the presser-foot is again locked by reason of theroller 31 riding out of said recess 33.

By the construction and arrangement of the parts of the presser-footmechanism herein set forth the presser-foot adapts itself automaticallyto different thicknesses of work and compensates for any unevenness orvariation in the thickness in the piece of work which is being sewed.That is, the spring 17 yieldingly holds the presser-foot in contact withthe work all the time the work is in the machine except when thepresser-foot is raised by the operators ma nipulation thereof. I

Obviously the device admits of considerable modification withoutdeparting from the spirit of the invention. Therefore, I do not wish tobe limited to the specific consion, a spring acting upon said lever toraise the rearward extension of the latter and to hold the forwardextension thereof yieldably upon the work, a bracket on said headframeabove said rearward lever extension, a bar slidably mounted on saidbracket and having a slot-and-pin connection at its lower end with saidrearward lever extension, a locking member slidably mounted on saidbracket so as to move transversely with respect to said sliding bar, theinner end of said locking member and the adjacent side of said slidingbar being arranged and adapted for the locking engagement of the formerwith the latter, a spring acting upon said locking member to move it outof'engagement with said sliding bar, a lever mounted on said bracket andhaving an upward extension in cooperative relation to said lockingmember so as to move the latter into engagement with said sliding bar,said last-mentioned lever also having a rearward extension, and arotating cam disk with which said last-mentioned rearward leverextension cooperatively engages, said cam disk having two recessedportions in timed relation so that said locking member is released fromengagement with said sliding bar during the time the work is beingshifted for each succeeding stitch and at the time for placing the workin, and removing it from, the machine.

2. In a sewing machine, a head-frame, a work support thereon, awork-piercing device, means for feeding the work, a lever mounted onsaid head-frame and having a forward extension cooperating with the worksupport for holding the work on the latter, said lever having a rearwardextension, resilient means acting upon said lever to hold the latteryieldably upon the work, a supporting bracket on said headframe, asliding bar on said supporting bracket having a slot-and-pin connectionwith the rearward extension of said lever, a looking element movable onsaid supporting bracket transversely with respect tand arranged andadapted to engage said sliding bar with looking effect, resilientmeansacting upon said locking element to move the latter out of engagementwith-said sliding bar, a lever mounted on said supporting bracket andhaving an extension in coiiperative relation to said locking element soas to move the latter into engagement With said sliding bar, and a camelement rotating in cooperative relation to said last mentioned leverand having provision whereby the lever is actuated to effect the lockingof said sliding bar during the time the Work-piercing device isoperating to puncture the Work, and the sliding bar is released of itslock periodically to permit the feeding of the Work and the placing ofthe Work in and its 10 removal from the machine.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand in presence of tWosubscribing Witnesses.

JOHN L. WHEELER. Witnesses:

G. A. PENNINGTON, STELLA HILL.

cm" of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents. Washington, D. C.

